In Brief
Double murder?
Bodies of two men found buried near Thessaloniki Police in Thessaloniki yesterday were investigating the circumstances surrounding the deaths of two men whose bodies were found buried on farmland near the village of Hortiatis. The corpses were discovered by local residents, according to police, who said that the two victims were both believed to be aged around 30. Police did not provide any details about the wounds on the bodies, saying that a coroner is to rule on the cause of the men’s deaths. Violent raids One man dead, one critical A 50-year-old taverna owner was found dead in a pool of blood at his restaurant in Kaisariani, eastern Athens, yesterday morning, in what police believed to have been a bungled robbery. The victim had been stabbed in the throat three times, according to police, who said he had probably resisted the demands of would-be robbers. Earlier, police had been called to Pefki, north of Athens, were a Syrian national had been shot in the head by intruders. According to the victim’s wife, two men burst into their home and threatened her husband to give them cash. When he refused, they shot him in the head. The Syrian was in a critical condition yesterday. KEP strike State Citizen Service Centers (KEP) will be closed today and tomorrow as employees stage a 48-hour strike to protest the government’s austerity measures. Unionists spoke of «a violent attack on workers’ rights.» Family business A 53-year-old Romanian woman and her daughter, 33, were in detention in the Cretan port of Hania yesterday, charged with selling sex behind the facade of a massage service. The two women, who are alleged to have placed regular advertisements in the local press, were arrested after an undercover policeman responded to an advertisement for a massage. After the massage, the 53-year-old is alleged to have offered him sex with her daughter in exchange for 50 euros. Power cuts The union representing workers at the Public Power Corporation (PPC) has called for rolling 48-hour strikes starting tomorrow to protest the government’s austerity measures and its plan for pensions reform. The union condemned the government for «succumbing to the pressure of the global financial markets» to the detriment of Greek workers. It is likely that the action will cause power cuts across the country. Fire rescue Firemen yesterday rescued an elderly couple from their apartment in Aghios Dimitrios, southern Athens, where a fire had broken out. The couple were transfered to hospital with breathing problems but were otherwise unharmed. It was unclear what started the blaze, which firemen managed to contain before it spread to adjacent apartments. Wind damage Strong winds in the region of Thessaloniki uprooted dozens of trees on Saturday. In 16 cases, the fire service was called to remove the trunks of fallen trees from central roads. Several parked cars were damaged but no injuries were reported.
